Lyons: Facebook statuses, political naivete stigmatize Generation Y

It’s no secret that our generation has a bad reputation. It’s no secret that our generation has a bad reputation. We’re constantly hailed as the “youth of America” while simultaneously thought of as politically naive, self-entitled and narcissistic.

While Americans our age are reaching higher levels of education than past generations before starting their careers, that doesn’t mean our age group is perceived as smarter than those from the past. The following is a list of reasons why Generation Y could be stigmatized for having an inflated sense of self importance and thought about with an, “Oh crap, they’re going to lead the country some day” attitude:

MTV shows. MTV and all of its reality television are huge staples of our generation’s pop culture. With shows like “Jersey Shore,” “Friendzone” and “The Real World,” the stupidity that these programs perpetuate is only surpassed by the stupidity of the people who think that these shows are anything more than scripted, pathetic windows into actors’ lives that are infinitely more pitiable than their own. What’s worse is that it seems as though these shows are more popular than news outlets such as CNN. I guess the drama of a hormonal, narcissistic teenager telling his best friend he loves her is more important than what’s going on in the Middle East.

Facebook Statuses. A collection of shameless statuses is undoubtedly appearing on your Facebook news feed even as you read this column. You know the type: People who use Facebook as therapy and complain about mundane aspects of their lives that no one cares about. Unacceptable topics to post a status about include: complaints about going to court for marijuana possession, discussing how you need to go to Rite-Aid to buy tampons, raging about how Dunkin Donuts didn’t put cream cheese on your bagel, lamenting about how you wish your ex-girlfriend would get her period in a shark tank and how you’re so hungover in your current class that all you can think about is throwing up on the person seated in front of you. Yes, these are all Facebook statuses I have seen on my news feed. Good luck getting jobs.

Political Naiveté. The prime example here is the Occupy movement, which has members from all different generations, from college students to older adults frustrated with our country’s politics. Its lack of a goal and plan is a prime example of the public’s political naiveté. Occupy has no discernable goals, no leader and no plan to jumpstart its “world revolution.” Though its message is admirable and might have merit, standing in front of economic strongholds around the world is hardly an effective technique for achieving any real change. Unless Occupy comes up with a better course of action, it’s unlikely that it’ll be anything more than an entertaining future music video from some do-gooder band like U2 or Coldplay.

Unfortunately, Occupy is a major political demonstration for both our generation and society. More people our age can probably tell you the length of Kim Kardashian’s marriage than how long former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak ruled his country before he was ousted, where “Jersey Shore” is filmed than where Syria is, and who the current cast of “The Real World” is than the candidates vying for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Occupy did a great job of getting the public mobilized and interested in changing politics, but the movement’s lack of direction and intelligence illustrates society’s lack of political awareness. Though this might be read as a bourgeois critique, I assure you I am not the 1 percent.

Sense of Entitlement. Another characteristic unfortunately attributed to our generation is a sense of entitlement. This more than likely results from our parents’ coddling of us when we experienced failure in childhood, awarding trophies to kids based solely on participation and explaining to each of us that we were special and different from everyone else. Contrary to what you might believe, you do not deserve to get an A in a class that you skip twice a week because you’d rather sleep, and you do not deserve to be hired for an internship when you showed up in leggings, Uggs and a plaid shirt to the interview.

That being said, our age group isn’t entirely bad: We have a few positive qualities as well. According to an article published in USA Today, Generation Y workers aspire to work faster and more efficiently than other workers. We are also motivated to make an impact at the office from day one and view older colleagues as resources to gain knowledge about how to succeed in the workforce. We’re also likely to place an emphasis on individuality and are comfortable with change, leading to the option of switching careers as often as we switch majors in college. These qualities lead to more independence and success in the workplace because of flexibility when it comes to career choice, especially in an economy with a weak job market like ours. And with these positive qualities, there might just be some hope yet for the Snooki fans, Facebook addicts and self-entitled peers that contribute to our generation’s image.

Write Kelan at kjl27@pitt.edu.